N-vinyl-5-phenyl-2-oxazolidinone compounds and polymers



United 3,033,829 N-VINYL-S-PHENYL-Z-(BXAZOLIDINONE COM- V POUNDS AND POLYMERS William W. Balrke, Midland, Mich, assignor to The Dow Chemical Company, Midiand, Mich, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Filed Feb. 6, 1958, Ser. No. 713,567

. 6 Claims. (Cl. 260-775) The present invention lies in the general field of organic chemistry and has particular reference to N-vinyl- -phenyl-2-oxazolidinone, a new and useful monoethylenically unsaturated monomeric compound, and to various derivatives thereof, particularly polymeric and resinous products that have great utility and provide for many benefits and advantages in numerous applications.

A further object of considerable importance is to provide polymeric products, including copolymers with other nib 3,033,829 Patented May 8, 1962 with an ethyl or other alkyl vinyl ether under the influence of certain catalysts, suchas mercuric acetate, meron the weight of the reactant. Frequently only 1 percent or less of the catalyst may be found necessary. Usually, relatively greater quantities of a catalyst must be employed when the reaction is performed by batch-wise techniques instead of according to continuous processing arrangements.

It is suitable for the transvinylation reaction to be e conducted in a solvent vehicle that is free from substitmonoethylenically unsaturated monomeric materials, that are derived from VO-P.

Yet another significant object is to provide homopolymeric poly-N-vinyl-5-phenyl-2-oxazolidinone which, for j convenience and simplicity, is hereinafter referred to as PVO-P.

According to the present invention, the new monomeric compound which possibilitates the achievement of the above indicated and corollary objects (including the formation of new polymeric products) is of the general structure:

l HC=CH2 (II) Monomeric VO-P is generally a white, crystalline solid which ordinarily melts, under normal atmospheric pressure, at 79.5-80.5 C. The monomer is soluble in such solvents as dioxane, acetone, chloroform, toluene and the like. It is generally insoluble in water, lower alkyl alcohols such as methanol, ethanol and propanol and in such solvents as Skelly Solvent (77-115 C.). Upon infrared analysis, the monomeric compound exhibits the characteristic absorption bands that are obtained when N-vinyl groups and structural formations are present.

The monomeric compound reacts with solutions of bromine and chloroform, as evidenced by rapid discoloration of the halogen solution due to the bromination of the vinyl group in the monomer. Diluent solutions of potasuent hydroxy groups (such as dioxane, dimethylformamide, and the dimethyl ethers of di-, tri-, or tetraethylene glycol or the like) and for the reaction mass to be maintained under an" atmosphere of an inert gas, such as nitrogen, during the course of the reaction. The reaction may generally be performed at temperatures from about to 170 0., preferably between about and C. The reaction will occur at any desired pressure though, when it is conducted in autoclaves and the like apparatus-especially when solvent vehicles are employed, it is most convenient to accomplish the reaction under autogenous pressures. Ordinarily, good conversions and yields of desired product from the converted.

starting materials can be realized according to the trans-. vinylation method reaction periods of 24 hours or less. The desired monomeric VO-P, which is a high boiling material, can be easily recovered from'the reaction mass using solvent extraction and precipitation techniques.

Monomeric VO-P will undergo polymerization in mass (which is oftentimes referred to as bulk polymerization) as well as polymerization, at practically any level of concentration, in solution or in emulsion or other dis persion in liquids with which the monomer being polymerized is soluble or insoluble, as the case may be, according to the particular technique involved. It is ordinarily beneficial for the polymerization to be conducted at a temperature between about 50 and 100 C., although this may vary with the particular catalysts used and the type of reaction being conducted. Suitable catalysts or initiators for polymerization of the monomeric VO-P include the azo catalysts, such as azobisisobutyronitrile; peroxygen catalysts, such as hydrogen peroxide, benzoyl peroxide, potassium persulfate and the like; and irradiation under the influence of high energy fields. The latter catalyzation may include the various actinic radiations, including such diverse forms of catalysis as ultraviolet, X-rayfand gamma radiations, as well as radiations from radioactive materials and high energy electron beam genacrylate and methacrylate compounds, vinyl acetate, vinyl sium permanganate and the like reagents rapidly oxidize the vinyl group of the monomer.

Monomeric VO-P may advantageously be prepared involving the transvinylation of 5-phenyl-2-oxazolidinone propionate and the like ethenoids (generallycharacteriz'able in containing a CH =C grouping), may be prepared in ways analogous to those described in the foregoing, including suspension and emulsion polymerization techniques Besides those mentioned in the foregoing,

other monomers that may suitably be employed for the preparation of copolymerized VQ-P products include those that have been disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,818,362.

When copolyrners are prepared, it is frequently desirable for the monomeric VO-P to constitute at least about .10 percent by weight or the mixture ofcopolymerizable rangefrom '01 to 50 or 100 thousand, and higher (as determinable from Fikentscher K-values or about 5-10 to room temperature within an 8-hour period. 7 The reac tion product was then heated zit-145 C. under a vacuum of 1 mm. absolute mercury pressure to remove low boil- Iing materials. The residue was placed in diethyl ether whereupon a white solid precipitated. The precipitate was filtered and dried. Upon analysis, it was found to contain aboutSZ grams of VO-P. The yield of monomer,

based on converted 5phenyLZ-oxazolldinone,. was about 55 percent. ij The product waspurified by. recrystallization from an acetone-water mixture. The physical properties 7 and characteristics of the VO-P were found to be as or moreto as high as 75-100 or so) and'a structural arrangernent that may be depicted in'the following way:

O-O I 1 (III) wherein n is a plural integer, preferably one whose numerical value is greater than l0 50 and which may be as large as 20004000 or more. Of course, lowermoleo ular weight polymers can also be made; Surprisingly escribed in the foregoing specification.

Example 2.-Polymerizati0n 0 VO-P About 2.0 grams of 'VO-P (81 percent pure), obtained as described in the first example, was heated in a beaker with a small amount of a,dnzobisisobutyronitrile to a temperature of about 90 C., whereupon it polymerized l to a brittle, slightly yellow-colored solid having a K-value enough, in view of the character of unsubstituted poly-N- V vinyl-Z-oxazolidinone (disclosed in thereterred to U.SL patent). PVO-P is not hygroscopic. It is usually obtained as a light tan to white colored, free-flowing powder that is generally of a non-crystalline nature, as indicated by 0 X-ray analysis. The homopolyrner generally fuses at anelevated temperature of about 238-248? C. and definitely melts at about 246 C.; remaining in a molten condition I until heated to its temperature of decomposition, which 7 begins ordinarily at about 300 C. When the homopolymer is burned,rit ordinarily leaves a sponge-like residue which tends to indicatethe evolution of carbon dioxide during thermal decomposition or combustion. Infrared analysis of the polymer produces spectra conforming to an expectablc pattern.

PVO-P in powder form has a density of about grarns per cubic centimeter (as compared to a theoretical and brittle, glass-like structures. The polymer exhibits good adhesiveness to siliceous materials, such'as glass and. the like and may advantageously be employed for purposes as coating glass or as a size for resin finish for glass fibers. =In addition, the homopo-lymer has excellent affinityfor many of a wide variety of dyestufis. Thus, PVC-l? can be utilized with great benefit asadye-assisting Qadjuvant or dye-receptor for syntheticftextile fibers and I other shaped articles of normally difii'cult-to-dye synthetic 1 polymers. In this capacity, PYOP may be utilized with exceptional advantage whenincorporated in fiber-forming compositions (and filamentary shaped articles produced therefrom) of the various acrylonitrile polymers, particularly polyacrylonitrile. V

i The inventionjisiurther illustrated in and by the following examples wherein, unless otherwise indicated, all parts and percentages areto be taken by weight.

Example 1.-Prepartzti0n of VO-P: A mixture consisting of about 81.5 grams (0.5 mole) ethylvinyl ether,. l00 grams of dry dioxane and 3 grams (0.009 mole) of phenyl mercuric acetate was placed in a' 1.5 liter'rocking autoclave and heated to. 154 C. for

241hoursJ The reaction mixture was then allowed to cool of about 24.7 and characteristics as described in the foregoing specification.

Similar homopolyrneric products can be obtained .by polymerizing the monomer in solution-in such solvents as dioxaneor by using emulsion polymerization techniqu m. Likewise, copolymers of V;O'P with any of themonomers mentioned in the foregoing specification may also be prepared in an analogous manner, using from 10 to 99 percent of the monomeric VO-P in the copolymerizable mixture and conventional quantities of a free-radical generating polymerization catalyst for the purpose.

Example 3.Uses of PVO-P A 10 percent by weight dispersion in chloro form of PVO-P having. a K-value of about 25 is cast on aglass plate and placed in an oven at 100 C. to remove thesolvent.

' formed on the glass.

A. hard clear colorless protective film is thereby The resulting film is extremely diffi- V cult to remove from the glass plate.

' Specifically, the fibers readily accept such adyestufi' as" SolidPVO-P is compression molded for oneminute at about 150. under an applied pressure of 600-700 pounds per square inch. A clear transparent brittle sheet results in having a density of about 1.9 grams. per cubic centimeter. I

About 10 parts of PVO-P (IQ-24.7) is blended with about 90 parts of fiber-forming polyacrylonitrile and prepared into a spinning composition using a percent aqueous vzinc chloride vehicle containing about 10 percent of total polymer solids dispersed therein. Prior to the blending, the PVO-P is reduced by mechanical comminution to a finely divided form to facilitate its dispersal in the spinning composition. PVQ-P-containing polyacrylonitrile fibers are prepared by extruding the spinning composition through a spinnerette into a coagulating bath in a known manner using about 42 percent aqueous zinc chloride as the coagulant. The fibers, after coagulation are washed. and oriented by stretching, prior to being dried, in order to finally obtain about a 3 denier filament- V ous product; The PVO-P-containing fibers are found to have excellent dye-receptivityfor any of a wide variety of dyestuffs, including sulfur-vat dyes; vat dyes; basic dyes; direct dyes; natural premetalized dyes; and naphthol dyes.

. Calcodur Pink 2BL (0.1. 353) to deep and level shades of 5 -phenyl-2-oxazolidinone,'108 grams (1.5.moles). of

of coloration.

What is claimed is:

Y 1. N-vinyl-5-phenyl-2-oxazolidinone.

2. An addition polymer of N a vinyl 5 phenyl 2- oxazolidinone. V

3. The homopolymer of N-viriyl-S-phenyl-Z-oxazolidinone. p

4. Poly-N-vinyl-Ssphenyl-2-oxazolidinone characterized in being a high polymer and having a molecular Weight of at least about 10,000.

'5. A composition comprising a; copolymer 6f material polymerized proportions of (a) N-vinyl-S-phenyl-Loxa- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Homeyer Apr. 23, 1946. Schuller et a1 Mar. 19, 1957' Drechsel Dec. 31, 1957' Drechsel Dec. 31, 1957 Trask et a1 u Mar. 11, 1958' 

1. N-VINYL-5-PHENYL-2-OXAZOLIDINONE. 